Conflicts to Watch in The New Millennium

protocol. President Maduro announced that the personnel who fired at protesters were
arrested for their actions.
Arbitrary Arrests
According to Human Rights Watch, Venezuelan government authorities arrested many
innocent people. They stated that "the government routinely failed to present credible
evidence that these protesters were committing crimes at the time they were arrested,
which is a requirement under Venezuelan law when detaining someone without an
arrest warrant". They also explained that "Some of the people detained, moreover, were
simply in the vicinity of protests but not participating in them. This group of detainees
included people who were passing through areas where protests were taking place, or
were in public places nearby. Others were detained on private property such as
apartment buildings. In every case in which individuals were detained on private
property, security forces entered buildings without search orders, often forcing their way
in by breaking down doors." One man was in his apartment when government forces
fired tear gas into the building. The man went to the courtyard for fresh air and was
arrested for no reason after police broke into the apartments.
Violent Protests
Apart from peaceful demonstrations, an element in some protests includes burning
trash, creating barricades and have resulted in violent clashes between the opposition
and state authorities. Human Rights Watch said that protesters "who committed acts of
violence at protests were a very small minority—usually less than a dozen people out of
scores or hundreds of people present". It was reported that barricades were the most
common form of protest and that occasional attacks on authorities with Molotov
cocktails, rocks and slingshots occurred. In rare instances, homemade mortars were
used by protesters. The use of Molotov Cocktails in some cases caught authorities and
some government vehicles on fire. President Maduro has stated that some protests
"have included arson attacks on government buildings, universities and bus stations."
The National Guard alleged that they had prevented some violent students from the
University of the Andes (ULA) from entering a premises. The governor of Aragua
state, Tarek El Aissami, claimed that six opposition protesters were arrested for having
firearms with one of the arrested being accused of allegedly shooting an officer with El
Aissami saying, "He's a fascist. We ordered the Public Ministry and the entire judiciary
application of all penalties" The article 68 of the constitution also states that "citizens
have the right to demonstrate" as long as it is "peacefully and without weapons".
Barricades
Throughout the protests, a common tactic that has divided opinions among
Venezuelans and the anti-government opposition has been erecting burning street
barricades, colloquially known as guarimbas. Street barricades, which stop vehicles
from passing, violate the 50th article of the constitution of Venezuela, which grants the
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